Hartlepool dad with brain cancer searching for treatment

BBC News

a day ago

The family of a man with an inoperable brain tumour have raised more than £42,000 for a treatment they are not sure exists.Dad-of-two Trevor Jones, 41, from Hartlepool, was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma after having multiple seizures on Christmas Day.His wife, Samantha Jones, 37, said he was a fit man who never smoked and rarely drank, but was ultimately given six to 12 months to live.But even after two unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy and what looks like no treatment options left, Mrs Jones said she was not giving up on her husband.
The couple and their two sons, aged eight and 12, were staying at Center Parcs in Cumbria over Christmas.Mrs Jones, who works as a teaching assistant, said it was "just a normal Christmas" with "batteries and chaos".But, after complaining of a belly ache, her husband collapsed on the bathroom floor a few hours later.
Mr Jones had a seizure in the ambulance on his way to Cumberland Infirmary and another once he arrived. He was then placed into an induced coma.He was transferred to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Boxing Day, where he was woken up a few days later for most tests and scans.Doctors eventually told the couple they thought Mr Jones had a brain tumour."That was a massive shock, I fainted," Mrs Jones said."Trevor, I don't know how he managed to take it all in, but he did."Following a tumour biopsy, it was revealed he had stage four glioblastoma and the couple were told he would have a possible six to 12 months to live.Mrs Jones said it was the worst day of their lives.
Failed chemotherapy rounds
Doctors believe Mr Jones' tumour could have been growing in his brain for years."You just can't believe something can be growing inside for so long and all of a sudden something triggers it when it's too late," his wife said.Mr Jones, who works as a rigger at a power station, had very few symptoms.Although he was tired, the couple always put that down to being parents. He also had bouts of sickness and forgetfulness.After two rounds of chemotherapy, an MRI showed the tumour had progressed and oncologists did not want to put him through a third round.Mrs Jones said she believed other treatment, like immunotherapy, could have been available if, following his tumour biopsy, the tumour had not been frozen in paraffin.The Brain Tumour Charity said freezing the tumour in paraffin can damage the tissue and make future use limited.It believes at least two samples should be flash-frozen, which can make patients eligible for clinical trials and emerging treatments.Karl Hubbert, director of pathology for Tees Valley Pathology, part of University Hospitals Tees, said: "Our trust processes tumour biopsies using either frozen section (flash freezing) or paraffin wax embedding techniques to support diagnosis, however these are not used for the purpose of immunotherapy treatment directly."
Mrs Jones has been unable to go back to work since the Christmas holidays because of the risk her husband will have another seizure."It's unimaginable really, it's hard to explain," she said."The kids know that he's got brain cancer and our youngest is only eight, he doesn't quite understand."And our oldest is 12 and I think he's a little bit in denial, he probably doesn't want to come to terms with it."
'I keep positive'
Mrs Jones said she was not giving up on her husband's health."For the past three months all I've done is research, research, research, ways to help him," she said."I think it's the only way to cope really. And although it's hard, every single day I'm so positive with Trevor because I don't want him feeling worried or scared."He would do the same for me."More than £42,000 has been raised for Mr Jones, which his wife hopes will go towards treatment if it becomes available."At the moment, he isn't getting any treatment," she said."I just hope [the money] can be beneficial to Trevor."
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